Legal Aid Changes
Posted on 26th November 2019
Following the introduction of LASPO 2012, our personal injury solicitors in Garstang saw a big change to the way that our client’s Personal Injury matters were funded (although, our team never changed our charges to you - we’ve always dealt with all accident and injury claims on a “No Win, No Fee” basis!). Sadly, the legal aid changes affected more than just one area of law; family law legal aid saw massive changes, as well as criminal law legal aid.
Sadly, legal aid cuts have continued to impact the number of people who are able to access legal assistance when they most need it, and figures released recently show that the number of unrepresented defendants in Crown Court proceedings is increasing quite dramatically. Since 2010, the percentage of people unrepresented at a first hearing has increased from 4.9% to 7.7%.
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To a lay person, an increase of just under 3% may not seem like a lot, however any unrepresented defendant in criminal proceedings is already starting off their case on a backfoot, especially if they don’t have any legal knowledge of their own.
So, how does this affect your matter with our team of solicitors in Garstang?
Well, as with a lot of high-street firms now-a-days, our team don’t actually deal with legal aid matters. However, we are able to refer our clients on for assistance, if we think that they may qualify.
For our clients who aren’t entitled to help via the legal aid scheme, our team like to make sure that you’re prepared for any charges from the offset.
We offer transparent, fixed-fee prices in most matters, and we can agree payment plans with our clients, to help them stay on top of their costs.
Our solicitors in Garstang like to make sure that we rebutt the age old myth of solicitors being unaffordable; our team’s fees are some of the best in the areas we practice in, with fees suited to what we would expect our clients to pay; fair and reasonable fees!
So, if you need legal assistance, you can contact our team, here, or email enquiries@mglegal.co.uk.
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